The word "tuli" means "we are" in Lugandan, one of the languages spoken in Uganda. The philosophy behind our brand is one of unity and collaborative solutions, we feel that "tuli" embodies that philosophy.

We at Tuli also believe in community. When you purchase one of our products or spread the word about us, you are joining our community. "Tuli" is an inclusive word that symbolizes our movement.

Every one of our sales directly benefits the women who made your product. We developed wages in collaboration with the women we work with to ensure that their earnings are sufficient, and we revisit our wages on a quarterly basis to take into account changes to living costs. Creating sustainable income and improving living standards for our partners in Uganda is our main priority. After that, we use the money from our sales to cover our operational expenses (website hosting, order processing, advertising, etc.). Our goal is to operate as efficiently as possible so that most of our sales go directly to the women in Uganda.

We recycle paper found in Kampala to make your products. The women there use everything from salvaged magazines to old advertisements that would otherwise be thrown away.

The salvaged paper is cut into thin strips and then rolled up tightly to form a bead. Then, the beads are covered in a varnish. Depending on what they'll be used for, the beads are also hand painted.

The beads are left to dry in the sun for several hours. Then, they are made into the beautiful products that you can purchase.

Because the paper beads are covered in varnish, they are durable. They can be wiped down with a damp cloth.

We have many opportunities to get involved at Tuli, from joining our brand ambassador program to becoming an intern. Read our "get involved" page for more information. Have an idea about how to help that we don't cover on that page? Send us an email. Want to help but don't have a lot of extra time? Tell the world about us in person or via social media.

We offer returns and exchanges within 30 days of your purchase's projected delivery date. Contact us here about a return or exchange.